


Take Me Away

by jao_ngao



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Comfort/Angst, Denial, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, Explosives, Fluff and Angst, Hate to Love, Heartbreak, Hurt, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mangekyou Sharingan, Ninja, Past Rape/Non-con, Self-Destruction, Sharingan, Shinobi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-10-15 22:44:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17537729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jao_ngao/pseuds/jao_ngao
Summary: We all know this is about Itachi and Deidara, which will eventually happen in the Akatsuki Organisation. While they have different partners on missions they were assigned to we know nothing about their relationship, do we?We know what happened to Deidara, but what about Itachi? What happened between them? What happened after his death?





	1. Deidara and the Akatsuki

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic on ao3 and first on Wattpad as well, so apologies in advance if it's not so well written.
> 
> Will follow along the Shippuden story line but will not be mentioning any other characters (unless necessary) aside from Akatsuki and, of course, our main characters Deidara and Itachi.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: All NARUTO characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, I am merely borrowing them.

After losing his battle to Itachi, Deidara joined the Akatsuki. Before long, he quite enjoys himself being in the organisation even though he was forced. Enjoy that he is the one bring destruction to the villages, enjoy the thrill of assassinating bandits or anyone they were assigned to kill, all the while awestruck and fascinated by his creations each time he is able to use them out in the open where he has a large audience who will witness such an event once in their lifetime. Quite literally.

Sometimes he enjoys the company of Sasori, his partner, even though they will always argue about the definition of art since they are both masters of art, however in parallel ways. Sasori believes art is something that should live for eternity and never dies or fade; to be preserved in its final state and continue its existence even as time starts wearing it down it will never die. On the other hand, Deidara believes art is what is made to exist in the moment; something rare to see, therefore, should not be taken for granted once it disappears before the eye. To make its existence complete.

But both definitions are never wrong. 'Art' simply has no correct meaning. As long as one knows how to express it and values art the correct definition should not matter. For that Sasori and Deidara has great respect for one another no matter how irritating either can be from time to time.

They have recently return from their assigned mission to find the whereabouts of Orochimaru's hideout on the order to kill him immediately. Though the three had a huge battle arena and Orochimaru at a disadvantage, his body was nowhere to be found after Deidara's clay managed to land a hit on him.

Frustrated their mission had went somewhat wrong, Deidara tries to steer his partner's attention away to something else by riling up the other's patience, blaming Sasori for taking too long to get started with his 'dolls.' Though it works they both cannot help but question that maybe Orochimaru is still alive. If that is the case Akatsuki will be in deep trouble, because not only did they wreck havoc they had also been unable to retrieve the body. To think the snake had managed to escape Deidara's blow and Sasori's puppets and leave without a trace or evident he was ever there is something Deidara cannot quite sit well with. It disturbs him to the very core and he shivers at just the thought of ever confronting the man again. He did not have such fond memories with the man.

"Sasori-danna, I'll be out." he simply says without waiting for a reply, knowing he wouldn't get a response either way.

Once surrounded by greenery and the woods stretch far and wide with young and old trees standing tall and proud, Deidara leaps up and lands beautifully on a branch that is thick enough to support him and his weight. Making sure no one is around he settles down on the branch, leaning back on the rough bark and placing his left hand inside the clay pouch which he always carries around, moulding whatever his mouth wanted to make subconsciously.

Relaxed and closing his half-lidded eyes he listens to the swaying of trees and chirping of birds and insects that appears to grow louder the longer he listens. _Nature,_ he starts to wonder, _will I ever be able to show you my masterpiece?_

And he drifts into a dreamland.

 

 

"Where is Deidara?" 

"Outside." comes the response.

He pushes no further. He figures it will be a waste of breath to retaliate the puppet master and so, he sets out to find the other master of an art which is his own.

Leaping from branch to branch, Itachi keeps his eyes and ears open to sense any type of chakra nearby that could be identified as the blond. When passing a familiar chakra signature he pauses, tracing the chakra with his senses and steadily following it. He stands in front of a wasted blond; head hanging to the side facing downwards and mouth slightly ajar, drool visibly forming at the corner of his mouth. If it is anyone else they may wake the boy from a burst of laughter. He looks ridiculous. 

He bends forward to stare at the sleeping blond who's facial expression seem twisted and pained, as though he is wounded. Reaching down to touch the blond, a cluster of clay bats flap furiously around the blond, clay spiders creating a border between Itachi and Deidara, protecting the boy from harm.

Itachi retracts his hand and straightens up, "I will not harm him. He is needed."

As if understanding what the Uchiha had said, the clay figures part. The spiders crawl back into the pockets of the Akatsuki coat while few bats flap around the blond, some even hooking themselves on the boy's shoulders like a tamed pet.

After a few calls and light shaking of the boy's shoulders Deidara stirs awake. Trying to focus on the person in front of him proves to be difficult since it is too bright for his liking and he'd just woken up from an oh, so beautiful dream.

"Uchiha." he says sternly followed by a groan as he neatly gets up from the sitting position. The tree clearly is not a comfortable place to sleep on.

He stretches his tense muscles, his sore back and neck (thanks to the tree) earning a few pops from the joints since he'd been in that pose for almost two hours straight. After all the stretching is done, he is satisfied. A small smile curling on his lips before it is replaced with a frown when he glares up at Itachi.

"How dare you interrupt me, hn? Now what is it you want." 

"Pain asks for your presence."  

_Fool._

"Oh? Is that so? I'll be on my way then."

The boy hums to himself as he push past him and leaps from the branch, landing on the ground majestically with dried soil spilling into the air and surrounding him like a bubble of dust. He marches off in the direction of the basement as fast as his legs can carry him, all the while screaming and beating himself up in his mind because in such a long time fear is eating him inside and out. He fears for the first time in such a long while since he'd left Iwa. But he cannot tell anyone. He will be judged and he doesn't need the extra judgement when he has already judged and is strict towards himself for it. He hates his weaknesses.

His eyes water as he approach the basement, but they don't fall. He will not let them.


	2. The Next

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, apologies. 
> 
> Maybe will do double update later.

Upon standing in front of Pain's office, Deidara knocks twice before hearing a faint "come in" from the other side. As he closed the door, he could see Sasori in front, Pain sitting behind his desk and Konan standing just a few metres behind him. He expected Sasori to be summoned as they are partners, but Konan? He'd never worked alongside her before, but he knows that he would not be able to defeat her as how he is at this state.

Years of training within the organisation has made him take note of what his abilities are and what the other members are capable of. He'll never admit out loud. No, he would never say such things. He will not admit the fact that he is the one that is the weakest. Strong and bold and with an attitude of his he is considered a strong, worth-fighting opponent. That is what he is to others, to himself it is not. He knows that if he were to battle anyone within the organisation or one of the strongest people from the Hidden Villages, he'd be the one at loss. He is not in the same league as them.

"What is it, Pain? I was training myself then the Uchiha disturbed my training session that I rarely get." He complains, having little to no time to strengthen his abilities after having so many missions to accomplish. Though the missions were fairly easy and most did not involve such a fierce battle, they take a lot out of him. The clay he use for his explosives are decreasing each time he fights. Soon enough, he won't have enough clay and will need to gather more. In such times where clay is rather scarce and their heads are recorded in the Bingo Book it is much more difficult to wander out without informing one another of their whereabouts. If one were to ever be captured or killed, the lost for the organisation is huge.

"The next mission for you, Deidara, and Sasori. Konan," with that being said, Konan approaches the pair.

A few moments later every single detail that needs to be said and elaborated on was over. The meeting came to a close. The main objective is to meet up with Hidan and Kakuzu, and discuss which mission each pair is willing to take. The other pair, Hidan and Kakuzu, had already known about these two meeting up with them during their way back from their previous task.

The choice is to assassinate a group of bandits whose bounty is rather high, though not deemed worthy enough to be written in the Bingo Book. The second is a war mission. The objective is rather simple: Ko no Kuni to be destroyed. However the goal is to expand Akatsuki's reputation, to let the world know they may be few in number but the power they hold is not child's play. They exist to rule the world, and those who oppose them will perish.

 

 

Meanwhile, in the same forest where Deidara had left in such a hurry, the Uchiha has yet to make a move from the tree branch he is resting on. He saw what had happened. He can read people and he can see the flickering emotions in their eyes. Especially the ones that hold meaning behind them he can read them well. So what made the young, blond master show such pain in his eyes? He saw what was behind all those walls the kid put up. The attitude, the sarcastic remarks but most importantly, what his eyes were saying. His eyes were telling something that his mouth isn't. His eyes were watery and seemed to be ready to spill at any given second if given the chance to let it flow freely. But he didn't.

His eyes were saying something which Itachi himself isn't so sure whether his guess is wrong or right. It held a strong emotion but, can Itachi confirm it?

 _Deidara . . . What happened you?_ Itachi questions, hopping down from the think branch he was previously on and lands on the solid ground with ease. The dried soil beneath his feet crumbling upon the sudden impact.

He walks back towards the basement, keeping a straight face as no one needs to know what is bugging him. It isn't like any of them will bother to ask, anyways. If anything the silence of it all allows him to ponder his thoughts, letting him think in peace without having to worry anyone disturbing him.

Once reaching the basement Itachi sees the blonde he was thinking about not so long ago, beside him is Sasori. It is obvious the two are getting ready to leave for their mission, but of course not without Sasori having to wait for Deidara to gather more clay in his pouch and check he has all the necessary weapons in his arsenal. The sight amuses him.

The blond approaches the big wooden puppet who is waiting at the main entrance of the basement, huffing in annoyance, "Took you long enough." the puppet master complains, already leaving. Deidara only chuckles drily before settling down. He glances over his shoulder to see a certain raven head staring in their direction.

"Before we head out," he starts earning a glance from Sasori and attention from the Uchiha. "I swear I will be the one who kills your brother, Uchiha Itachi." he chuckles softly to himself then continues his way with Sasori beside him who doesn't spare him another glance while muttering something along the lines of 'wasting my time.'

 _That look on his face is... lovely._  The blond comments with a ghostly smile before clearing his head with a stern look. 'Lovely' is not in his dictionary, a word he barely uses. 'Beautiful' is and that only applies to his artworks, the one and only which he adores.

The corner of the Uchiha's mouth tugs upwards slightly into what people will see as a smirk, responding in a hushed voice that no one but himself can hear, "I bet you will."


	3. Where is 'Home'

Explosives explode upon the impact of its fall with such force it destroys every living and non-living organisms in its way, the force spreading over 1200 kilometres squared. A certain blond Akatsuki smirk with pride and satisfaction of his work of art, however his eyes hold nothing but emptiness. No matter how proud and arrogant he may seem, no matter how much he improves to defeat his previous self there was no stop. He can never be enough. It is not enough for him and he knows he will reach his limit sooner or later.

"My mission over here is done, Sasori-danna." he concludes, grinning widely down at his partner who is on the ground while he is mounted on his C-2.

Sasori visibly scoffs, finishing off what was started, "Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!"

By morning, Ko no Kuni - a small nation between the Land of Fire and Land of Rivers- became nothing but piles of ruins upon a vast land. The castle had fallen to the very core, leaving absolutely nothing behind. The dirt beneath their feet stain red from bloodshed and explosion. Any evidence of a genocide that has occurred has been left in all sorts of places, spreading Akatsuki's reputation wide in the Shinobi World. Their mission in Ko no Kuni, a success.

 

 

Upon Sasori and Deidara's return to the basement they meet with complete silence. No voices to be heard. No noises from the kitchen, no nothing. Complete utter silence. Although the silence bothers him Deidara sneaks into his room without saying a thing to his partner, knowing this man will be able to handle anything by himself. No need for the use of someone useless such as himself to be lingering about without an aim.

The boy locks the door then sluggishly removes the Akatsuki coat, scope and ring from his right index finger, carefully and neatly laying them on his bedside table while hanging the coat on a hook from the wall beside his bed. He crawls onto his bed, bringing up the blanket to his chest as he hugs himself in a fetal position. He is beyond exhaustion; mentally, physically, emotionally.

For an unknown reason he feels unusually warm yet cold at the same time. He's already starting to sweat while feeling ice-cold fingers run down his spine from time to time causing him to jerk forward and glance over his shoulder every once in a while. The sensation of being touched makes him shiver with disturbance as he recalls whose hand it was that used to touch him in such a way that would bring him pain and pleasure at the same time. Since when has he become paranoid he does not know, but he knows the one man he hates with every fibre of his being more than he hates the Uchiha is now gone. He hopes it is for good.

Eventually, the youngest member of the Akatsuki falls asleep. A frown displaying on his facial features along with a light trail of glistening unshed tears welling up in his eyes. 

 

 

"He's asleep."  

"Already, huh?"

"He's a boy. There's sure to be some strain on him-"

"A weakling he is. Why did Pain decide to recruit someone like him anyways? We're already well-known and strong enough without a burden such as him."

"Be quiet. You must _never_ question Pain's decisions. He knows what is the best course of action. He always thinks ahead-"

"Of course you will say that, Konan."

The young man stirs awake from his slumber upon hearing faint voices arguing beside his head. He blink rapidly in an attempt to wake the sleepiness out of his eyes and focus on what is currently happening. Luckily he is facing the grey stone wall, earning him time to wipe the dried trail of tears from his cheeks before turning himself to face the owner of the two voices.

"Konan..." gaining the attention of said woman and another male in the room who always carries around a triple-bladed scythe with him, he continues with curiosity. "... Hidan? Why are you two in my room, hn?" his voice had gone rather raspy. Instead of an immediate response Deidara is greeted with a hard expression from Konan while Hidan huffs, crossing his arms as he leans against the opposite wall while holding onto his precious scythe.

"Pain has a mission especially for you. Only you." she emphasises. "Sasori will not be accompanying you in this trip, be sure to prepare yourself for the worst possible outcome." she warns, if it is even possible he swears he saw her face darken.

"I should go then, hn." he mumbles under his breath already sitting up and grabbing his coat.

Before he can reach the door Konan stops him with a hand on his shoulder. He eyes her curiously, knowing there must be something much more deeper than the excuse of a mission on the surface, but he cannot read her expression. A mixture of worry, fear, and guilt? Something he hasn't seen for so many years - aside from his victims. 

"Be prepared for the worst, Deidara." she warns yet again, her voice deep and intimidating. He grunts in response then leaves the room, almost forgetting to collect his eye scope and his ring. from the bedside table.

 

 

The young blond male bursts out the door leaving Pain in his seat, his expression still and serious, unwavering. Pain can only sigh in disbelief yet, he is sure it is not something the boy cannot handle. Despite knowing and witnessing how worn out the blond is since his return from the massacre of Ko no Kuni this mission is a must and it is also a test.

His face darken upon sensing another presence presenting itself, "Uchiha Itachi." he says, allowing the male to enter his room.

Said Uchiha appears before him after closing the doors, knowing fully well how much the male hates being eavesdropped.

"What do you suggest?" his question not what Itachi expects but his gaze fixated on the male before him.

Elsewhere, Deidara prepares every being in him for this one mission. One he is not allowed to have a say in. Him enraged is an understatement. He cannot believe the words uttered to him in that room. Is he some type of joke? 

"When..." he mutters through gritting teeth, stuffing his pockets with clay, restocking his arsenal and snatching a straw hat from the same hook where he also hangs his coat. Hastily making his way towards the entrance of the basement he takes one last bitter glance at the place he now calls "home" before departing without bidding farewell for a mission he is sure to take months.

_When will I be allowed to have a say in my life, huh!_


	4. Chapter 5: Trap or Coincidence

After two weeks of travelling to an unknown forest between two small nations a certain blonde male found his designated "forest" which, very much appears to be a rural area of land filled with withering oak trees and maple trees, most of which had died out while some are barely alive. By the time he arrived to the withering forest, the radiating heat from the Sun slowly cools down as it hovers over the horizon as night falls.

As the blonde male gathered wood to create a camp site he summoned a Composition 1 standing a few meters away, "Katsu," he ordered, creating a moderate sized bonfire as it explodes. His camp site fire is ow complete,  _'a work of art in itself, hn.'_  He beamed with a wide grin. Perhaps this so-called mission isn't as terrible as he originally thought. He gathered a pile of old dead leaves near the trunk of an oak tree for comfort for his back as he lays himself on the ground close to the campfire, folding his arms behind his head as he stares up at the starry night sky, getting lost in its beauty and wonders. A warm relaxing atmosphere such as this, doesn't always present itself for the blonde man. Such an opportunity for him to reconnect with his surroundings was rare, and since there wasn't a time limit for how long he could remain outside the basement, he decided that perhaps he should spend some time slacking off- to reset his mind and find his "inner peace", instead of focusing on improving his artistic skills. After all, this is an unknown forest that even he have not heard of its name until now, surely this is a safe environment to idle around.

Not long after staring up at the night sky then to the campfire, Deidara fell asleep, exhausted from his journey. An arm covering half his face as he slept while mumbling incoherent words, followed by a few silent groans as if he were stuck in a nightmare- as if he were in pain. A frown replacing his peaceful-looking face.  
Meanwhile, somewhere nearby yet not so close, a pair of onyx eyes observes the blonde haired male from afar.

By morning the campfire had burned out, leaving smoke and ash behind as the remaining logs cackle and whimper as the fire vanishes, the warmth disappearing. Deidara, however, was nowhere to be in sight. A pair of onyx eyes widen, scanning the nearby areas where the blond could be. However it was to no avail.  _'Where can he be?'_  The mysterious person questioned. Then, in that moment the sound of an explosion set off, causing those onyx eyes to face in the direction of the explosion. They smirked, their target wasn't too far away, much to their relief.

"Ah, there you are."

Deidara swiftly attacked on instinct and reflex, however, he wasn't quick enough. "You're still slow, Deidara." the mysterious male teased with a grin, blocking the blonde's kunai with their katana. Their face was hidden and the only facial feature he could see were the eyes. Pitch black eyes locking eye contact with him, seeing far into his soul. Deidara tensed, he hadn't felt this sensation in a long time. The feeling of dread and familiarity. The voice.... Where had he heard of it before? He couldn't remember. It seemed so distant to him.

Deidara scowled at the Shinobi in front of him. No mistake the person before him is a Shinobi, even so a missing-nin. From what village he does not know for the person was completely hooded, only their eyes and hands were visible, the rest were covered in clothing. "What do you want, hn." he demanded, already in a defensive stance as he backed away for space. The only response he received was a hysteric cackling with a look of insanity.

"You're not meant to be here, Deidara-kun. Did you get lost?" they cooed, an outline of a grin visible through the half-faced mask they wore.

Deidara visibly stiffened though his expression said otherwise, he knew this voice from somewhere...  _Where?_ he scolded himself inwardly, barring his teeth like a wild dog about to pounce on its prey.

The hooded male kept his eyes at the blonde figure in front of him as he reached in his waist pocket, taking out what appears to be a mask with an animal similar to a squirrel on it.  _ANBU?!_ the blonde panicked, his eyes widen in shock. He rushed ahead with a kunai pointing towards the male ANBU with speed in hope he can catch him off guard. No one warned him of such thing as an ANBU being involved or that he must face one. He felt... betrayed.

The ANBU had little to no time to react, however being in the ANBU Black Ops deflecting a simple weapon as the kunai was simple and easy. The masked ANBU blocked the kunai with a sheath, his left hand gripping the katana to Deidara's throat. Their gaze met; one with a killer-intent, another with a look of fear mixed with shock. He then realised why he was sent on this secret mission.  
"Iwa sent you." the blonde whispered, his voice unwavering; it was only a front- an act to show he wasn't an easy target. He wouldn't allow anyone to see how weak he really is. His chosen art was his true inspiration, the intention of defeating the Uchiha brothers were his sub-goals to becoming a truly strong opponent. He was tired of being looked down on. By the Akatsuki and the Uchihas. The ANBU is no different.

The male hummed in response, not denying the fact that he is indeed sent by Iwa to annihilate the target in front of him. The ANBU nudged the kunai out of Deidara's grip, surprised the blonde didn't put much of a fight - no struggles at all as the metal collides with the ground, clink clanging beside their feet.  
The unknown male, still pointing the katana at Deidara's throat threateningly, backed him up against the trunk of a tree until there was no room to escape. It was then the blonde realised there isn't just one of them. There were five.

Deidara inhaled, preparing himself for what was to come. He felt truly betrayed. No one was there for him. He was all alone, out here in the middle of some dying forest. Yet his mind wandered to a certain sharingan user; a mysterious man he is, powerful and brilliant, intelligent. An Uchiha- his sworn enemy, one day he will defeat both Uchiha Sasuke and Itachi. That was his goal no matter what.

 _It isn't the end. It's only a test_.  _One simple thing._

Four other ANBU appeared behind Deidara and the squirrel-mask,  surrounding them in the shape of a square. Now, he is truly trapped. His blue eyes dimmed as he eyed each and every ANBU, observing them and noticing the animals represented on the masks; a squirrel, a tanuki, a black panther, a red fox and a crow.

The squirrel-mask ANBU pressed his katana further on the blonde's throat, piercing it as blood began to seep through the layers of skin, causing the male to hiss in pain as he finds it difficult to breathe. It was torture, slowly cutting someone was pure torture.  
However, the masked man backed away, leaving space between the two of them while the other four were confused as to why he didn't finish him off. It was one simple task: track down and exterminate Deidara of Akatsuki, leaving no trace of him behind.

"Why?" the crow questioned gritting her teeth though not visible under the mask, fetching a kunai from her pouch, ready to do so herself as she gripped it firmly. The squirrel raise an arm to stop her, he had an idea.  
Without a second thought the man lunged at Deidara, catching them all by surprise as the katana pierced the blonde right where his heart would have been.

Deidara's mouth hung open, gaping, as blood poured out of his mouth, running down his chin. His wide eyes filled with horror, shocked, as his once crystal blue eyes turned pale white like the colour of his explosive clay artworks.

The ANBU squad then left the scene once they realised it was a clone they were dealing with all along, fleeing deeper into the forest as the clone exploded into a million microscopic pieces of clay; the explosion temporarily blinding their eye sight.

Laughable it may seem, the ANBU squad had fallen for one of the oldest tricks written in the history of Shinobi World.


	5. Chapter 5: Perception

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's shorter than previous ones. Apologies!

With the ANBU team off his tail Deidara settles down near a steady flowing river, which, seems to have started drying up due to the cracks in the soil and the heat of the morning sun. However, dry soil also has its perks as it includes clay beneath the many layers of earth. Perfect.

A gleeful looking Deidara wastes no time to spare as he begins refilling his pouch with clay which is close to empty. How fortunate it is for him to be surrounded in this rough area where it contains clay, unlike the countryside he was in three days prior where weeds are grown wildly, reaching up to the sky.

The two-weeks journey in the grassland was smooth, refreshing and, oddly for Deidara, peaceful. He had never felt at peace when he was in Iwa nor did he feel protected when surrounded by those from the Organization. Instead, he felt his life was in danger, even though he found joy in using his abilities to complete missions he was not at all at peace.

Perhaps it was the beauty in the way autumn leaves would soar in windy mornings, or the sound of raindrops singing to him as thunder crackles that calmed him more than ever before. Or perhaps it may be because he finally feels free of all possible danger - out here where no one has ever heard of him - or because there is no sign of any shinobi or civilian to ever live in the wilderness surrounded by giant trees, a wonderful waterfall that runs downstream and everything else is just plain flat surface with greenery, a variety of species of plants that grew here than in the great Land of Fire before it was all washed away to this barren land.

However, as peaceful as his time is there is work to be done, and Deidara once again questions himself: why was he sent on a solo mission whilst everyone else are on paired missions capturing the Bijuu?  _Am I being tested..?_ And the only way to know the truth?

_There is no turning back now._

Night falls and fortunately, Deidara takes refuge at the mouth of a cave, he is no longer stuck in the land of the unknown. Though, on a negative note, the young lad senses a familiar presence that has been pursuing him since the start of his journey. The presence always there but never seen. Except for one moment when Deidara was close to being captured by the ANBU, that moment was when he could feel the chakra signature the strongest. Was it close? No. Nor was it far, yet the energy was so strong and terrifying the blond knew for an instant who's chakra signature it was, but it was heated rush and all he could think of was how to escape their grasps.

The horror came back to him as his mind rushes back to the heavy energy the mere touch of the chakra gave off,  similar to the one a few years prior when he was forced to join Akatsuki.

_Can it be...?_

Unexpectedly, a frightening flash breaks across the sky in an instant, followed by the drumming of the heavy sky above. Lost in his old memories Deidara almost didn't react in time when a hooded figure stepped inside the cave, their chakra not as menacing as before however dangerous nonetheless. Rain starts to pour down as quickly as the lightning came which, luckily, woke the blond from his frozen state. He jumped back as soon as his peripheral vision caught sight of an unknown figure standing a few metres away from him.

Though he never shows his fears, never wanted the rest of the organisation to know how much of a frightened young boy at heart he is, this is the one time he let himself lose slip. His pupils dilated, frightened as he watch the hooded figure move closer to him while he himself is unsure whether to flee deeper into the cave or stand and fight this unknown shinobi. Was this mission suppose to be so dangerous that he is followed everywhere he goes? What exactly did Pain plan for him to do in this solo mission? A bait for the ANBU to catch? Was he merely a tool to be used and once lost its purpose he will be thrown away as easy as that? There is no way for him to know except to live another day to return to the basement and storm through Pain's door. Whatever Pain had planned, Deidara did not expect to be chased to the extent he barely has a gap of a day between each 'hunt'.

With a kunai in each hand the blond stands in his guard, preparing for close-range combat. His techniques are much more suitable in open areas however all there is, is a wall on either side and a deep tunnel which leads further into the cave. He is at a grave disadvantage.


End file.
